Explanation

Radiotherapy is a treatment for cancer. It is used when the cancer cells are gathered together in one place. It attacks them from outside, using invisible particles, called radiation, which can kill them. Radiotherapy is sometimes given before, during or after chemotherapy for better killing power!

You have to lie perfectly still while the radiation comes out of a machine pointed at the area of your body where the cancer cells are. This is very important, so before you have the radiation, a device will be used to make sure you are completely still and can stay still to make sure that the treatment goes exactly where it needs to. Radiotherapy only takes a few minutes, it's invisible and doesn't hurt a bit!

Some of your body's normal cells get killed along with the cancer cells because they get in the way of the radiation. This can cause side effects, but they don't usually last for very long.